Interfax: ex-head of the Anti-Doping Center Rodchenkov was charged with new charges

The former head of the Anti-Doping Center, Grigory Rodchenkov, was charged in absentia with two counts of illegal trafficking in potent substances (Part 3 of Article 234 of the Criminal Code), . Interfax reports, citing a source familiar with the situation

Several criminal cases are being investigated against Rodchenkov in Russia. Thus, at the end of September, the Basmanny Court of Moscow arrested Rodchenkov in absentia and put him on the international wanted list in the case of abuse of official powers (Part 2 of Article 201 of the Criminal Code). The case was opened in early June 2016 after a pre-investigation check of his interviews, in which he spoke about violations of anti-doping rules in Russian sports, including those involving him.

In addition, in early November, the Investigative Committee opened another criminal case against the former head of the laboratory for abuse of power and destruction of doping samples of athletes (Article 294 of the Criminal Code). According to investigators, Rodchenkov himself distributed doping among athletes, destroyed samples, and in order to conceal “his criminal activities” he accused Russia of implementing a doping program.

In 2016, Rodchenkov went to the United States, where he said that Russian athletes took doping during the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics with the assistance of officials from the Ministry of Sports and the FSB. Based on Rodchenkov’s testimony, sports lawyer Richard McLaren released a report in 2016 and spoke about the doping scheme in Russian sports. Following an inspection, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Commission stripped 75 Russian athletes of their medals.